DEVELOPMENTAL RESEARCH PROGRAM: PROJECT SUMMARY The primary goal of the Yale SPORE in Skin Cancer Developmental Research Program (DRP) is to provide limited support (maximum of $50,000/year, typically for no more than two years) for a broad spectrum of innovative skin cancer pilot projects (involving research, resources, and technology development applicable to human skin cancer risk, prevention, diagnosis, prognosis, or treatment). These pilot projects must have promising translational research potential, with anticipation that they can eventually develop into, or be incorporated into, full projects with an unequivocal clinical translational component. Such projects could either be developed into independent external funding at a scope and scale equivalent to a NIH R01 grant, or alternatively augment or replace a Project in future cycles of the Yale SPORE in Skin Cancer. A total of at least $230,000/year will be used for Developmental Research Projects ($56,262 in direct costs and at least $173,738 in institutional matching funds guaranteed by the Yale Cancer Center and the Department of Dermatology). These funds will make it possible to support up to five DRP projects annually, ranging from $30,000 to $50,000 each. A second goal of this DRP is broaden the collective of Yale investigators who are actively engaged in research related to human cutaneous oncology. During its second five-year funding period, the YSPORE DRP has funded 22 different projects (20 related to melanoma, one to cutaneous T cell lymphoma, one to keratoacanthoma) involving 28 different investigators from 15 different departments and sections at Yale, and two outside institutions. Six of the projects involved multiple PIs and encompassed multidisciplinary activities.